Cyber Troop Maneuvers After Prabowo Speeches

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - On social media platform X, user account @ahmdnizaar98 tweeted in support of President Prabowo Subianto’s speech on “londo ireng” or “foreign lackeys.” The account claimed the “londo ireng” remark served as a public warning to stay be wary of foreign funding flows.

“Implied meaning!”Londo ireng” is a warning for the flow of foreign funding behind political dynamics,” the account posted on July 25, 2026, at 2:04 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB). Two days earlier, the President had accused several non-governmental organizations, journalists, and researchers of being “londo ireng,” a Javanese term for domestic traitors siding with colonialists.

The account also shared an article by Indah Gayatri published on Kompasiana, titled “Menebak Makna ‘Londo Ireng’ dan Aliran Dana Asing di Tengah Dinamika Politik” (Guessing the Meaning of ‘Londo Ireng’ and Foreign Funding Flows amid Political Dynamics). The piece alleged that several non-governmental organizations and news outlets, including Tempo, accepted funding from the Open Society Foundations, an organization founded by philanthropist George Soros.

The article went live at 1:37 p.m. WIB, roughly 30 minutes before @ahmdnizaar98 shared it. Following @ahmdnizaar98’s post, dozens of other accounts generated over 100 posts echoing President Prabowo’s allegations. Mirroring @ahmdnizaar98, 44 additional accounts amplified Indah Gayatri’s article.

This surge of posts erupted after six journalism and media groups condemned President Prabowo Subianto’s speech labeling journalists, analysts, and NGOs as “londo ireng.” President Prabowo made this accusation during his address at the National Awakening Party’s (PKB) anniversary event at the Jakarta Convention Center on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

The @ahmdnizaar98 account was created only in April 2026 and had just two followers as of September 10, 2026. It routinely shares posts, digital posters, and Kompasiana articles that champion government policies or target civil society groups. For instance, it frames Prabowo as a great leader and claims that national food self-sufficiency has already been achieved.

Tempo reached out to the account for comment but received no response as of Thursday, September 10, 2026. The same silence met outreach to Indah Gayatri, an unidentified freelance writer.

Tempo’s Fact-Checking Team uncovered a coordinated network of accounts deployed to polish President Prabowo’s image following a series of public speaking blunders. These social media accounts operated in tandem with clarification statements issued by government officials.

In addition to the “londo ireng” controversy, a similar pattern emerged after President Prabowo’s speech regarding Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons. Prabowo made the remarks during a gathering with business leaders from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) at the State Palace in Jakarta on Friday, July 31, 2026.

Similarly, the President claimed that the wage for an onion peeler reached Rp700,000 per kilogram. The Gerindra Party chief patron made the statement during the Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Friday, August 14, 2026.

Tempo’s Fact-Checking Team compiled social media post data using monitoring tools including Brandwatch, reverse image search engines, and Xpoz. The data was extracted and analyzed based on timing, textual content, cross-account networks, engagement metrics, and account profiles.

The “Londo Ireng” Remarks

Tempo’s Fact-Checking Team identified 319 social media accounts that disseminated 1,210 pro-government posts between July 25 and August 11, 2026. Overwhelmingly, 95 percent of these posts circulated on platform X, with the remaining content appeared across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The primary hashtag driving the campaign was #LondoIreng.

The operation allegedly kicked off on July 25, 2026, involving an initial cluster of 70 accounts. This group fired off roughly 120 posts with narratives defending President Prabowo’s speech, such as accusing foreign funding. This surge of tweets was concentrated between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. WIB.

Two subsequent waves rolled out on July 26 and 27, 2026, continuously amplifying narratives aimed at legitimizing the President’s remarks. Both waves mobilized roughly 70 accounts, largely matching the network active on July 25.

The posting patterns were also identical. On July 26, 2026, 44 accounts simultaneously shared links to a Kompasiana article by another author titled “Pahami Konteksnya, Siapa yang Dimaksud Londo Ireng oleh Presiden Prabowo.” (Understand the Context, Who Is Meant by President Prabowo to Be Londo Ireng).

Authored under the pseudonym Pak Gie, the article was published at 12:25 p.m. WIB before being systematically cross-posted by X accounts starting at 1:14 p.m. Tempo reached out to the Kompasiana account for clarification, but received no reply as of Thursday, September 10, 2026.

The campaign peaked on July 28, 2026, involving nearly 160 accounts—double the daily volume of previous days. This network generated around 300 posts, concentrated primarily between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. WIB.

Among them, 67 accounts active in the July 28 push belonged to the same fleet deployed from July 25 to 27. Meanwhile, 92 other accounts were newly deployed. Hundreds of these posts carried two additional hashtags: #JanganGagalPaham (#DontFailToUnderstand) and #LoyalitasUntukBangsa (#LoyaltyForTheNation).

A portion of the posts attempted to clarify President Prabowo’s statement. The handle @babagajah46, for instance, wrote that the term “londo ireng” was not directed at all journalists. “It was aimed at the interests of specific individuals,” the account wrote at 1:55 p.m. WIB.

Other accounts, such as @kuncikata, doubled down on the allegation, posting, “President Prabowo is not wrong; there are indeed many ‘londo ireng’ in Indonesia.” As of Thursday, September 10, 2026, neither account had responded to Tempo’s request for comment.

The narrative shifted on July 30, 2026, during a smaller wave of activity. Thirty accounts began framing Prabowo as a descendant of Prince Diponegoro’s fighters. These posts surfaced after social media users pointed out that Prabowo’s maternal great-grandfather, Benjamin Thomas Sigar, had assisted Dutch colonial forces in capturing Diponegoro during the Java War.

Tempo’s Fact-Checking Team previously investigated Prabowo’s paternal and maternal lineage in an article titled “Benarkah Prabowo Keturunan Prajurit Diponegoro?” (Is Prabowo a Descendant of Diponegoro’s Soldiers?).

Online operations surged again on July 31, 2026, before gradually tapering off through August 11, 2026. The messaging remained constant: reinforcing the “londo ireng” claim, offering contextual defenses, and calling on citizens to maintain national loyalty.

This online campaign mirrored efforts by several government officials to clarify the intent behind President Prabowo’s remarks. The PR push began with Fifi Aleyda Yahya, Director General of Public Communication and Media at the Ministry of Communication and Digital, who issued an official release on July 27, 2026.

According to Fifi, “londo ireng” was merely a political metaphor and not intended to discredit any specific profession, media organization, or group. “What the President conveyed was an appeal to stay alert against entities deliberately creating narratives suggesting Indonesia has no hope,” Fifi stated in the release.

Additional clarifications followed on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, from Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai and Head of the Government Communications Agency Muhammad Qodari. Qodari urged news outlets to focus on the substance of Prabowo’s address. “The President’s series of speeches is aimed at defending the public interest,” Qodari said in Surabaya, East Java, on July 28, 2026.

Two other officials, Special Presidential Advisor for Communications Hasan Nasbi and Culture Minister Fadli Zon, issued separate statements on July 31, 2026, and August 5, 2026, respectively.

Hasan Nasbi claimed the term “londo ireng” referred to pessimistic groups that enjoy causing trouble. Meanwhile, Fadli Zon argued that Prabowo’s remark was delivered lightheartedly to raise awareness about foreign elements attempting to divide the nation.

Tempo identified a pattern of narrative reframing and identical phrasing shared between official statements and coordinated social media posts.

The phrases “political metaphor” and “not targeting the profession,” featured in the Komdigi press release, appeared 69 and 119 times across the flagged social media accounts. Additionally, 58 posts incorporated variations of the words “pessimist,” “pessimistic,” or “pessimism,” terms featured in both the official ministry release and Hasan Nasbi’s remarks.

Remarks on Iran’s Nuclear Capabilities

Tempo’s Fact-Checking Team tracked 15 social media accounts active between August 2 and August 5, 2026. Ten of these posts appeared on Instagram, while five others were shared across X and Facebook. These accounts insisted Prabowo never claimed Iran possessed nuclear weapons, but was merely highlighting international concerns over arms races in the Middle East.

“President Prabowo Subianto was reminding the public to stay vigilant in the face of an increasingly volatile global landscape,” posted the account geolore.id on August 3, 2026.

Other coordinated accounts reframed the nuclear discussion around topics of energy, healthcare, and peace. They lauded President Prabowo as a visionary leader who understands geopolitics. “We are so lucky to have a president who understands the world map,” wrote the account woman.bersabda on August 2, 2026.

Tempo reached out to both account administrators for comment but received no response as of Thursday, September 10, 2026.

Alongside these textual posts, 10 accounts posted the same poster. Featuring a blue-and-white color scheme alongside an image of President Prabowo, the poster read: “Meluruskan Fakta: Presiden Prabowo Tak Menuduh Iran Punya Nuklir” (Setting the Record Straight: President Prabowo Did Not Accuse Iran of Possessing Nuclear Weapons).

Remarks on Onion Peeler Wage

Following widespread online backlash over President Prabowo’s claim that onion peelers earn Rp700,000 per kilogram, 15 videos appeared on TikTok between August 16 and 26, 2026. Despite the small number of posts, the content generated massive engagement, racking up over 1.5 million likes, 40,000 comments, and more than 21 million views.

The posts, published across 14 accounts, followed a two-wave pattern. The initial five videos, posted between August 16 and 17, 2026, attempted to clarify the figure Prabowo cited. They claimed the President misread his speech text. Namely, that the intended figure was Rp700 to Rp1,000 per kilogram for onion peeling work.

The posts framed Prabowo’s slip as an understandable human error, noting he delivered an unscripted speech lasting over an hour without a break. “One slip of the tongue shouldn’t overshadow his real work,” wrote the account Fans Pak Prabowo on August 16, 2026. Boasting 12,600 followers, the account routinely publishes content about Prabowo’s activities.

The second wave unfolded from August 20 to 26, 2026, as public mockery over the onion peeling wage comment persisted. During this window, 10 posts emerged claiming Prabowo intentionally misstated the numbers as a coded hint aimed at exposing a major corruption scandal.

“Whenever the President mentions a figure in a speech, a massive corruption case is exposed shortly after,” claimed the account Prabowo.Media on August 24, 2026. As with earlier accounts, this handle posted content focused on promoting Prabowo.

Tempo’s Fact-Checking Team reached out to both account owners for comment, but neither responded as of Thursday, September 10, 2026.

Image Restoration Strategy

Lely Arrianie, a political communications expert from the London School of Public Relations (LSPR), stated that public official statements and social media network campaigns are designed to reduce negative public perception following the President’s speeches. This strategy aims to execute a brand recovery effort for an image considered damaged.

“That’s called rebranding, taking a brand that is considered tarnished, so to speak, and reshaping it,” Lely told Tempo by phone on Thursday, September 3, 2026.

Lely explained that the communication pattern among public officials tends to defend President Prabowo’s speeches out of context, before engaging secondary groups such as social media influencers to polish the image online.

This strategy, she noted, aims to project a positive image that may not align with reality, creating distance from the public. “Political communication should be imbued with feelings of sympathy, empathy, and dedication to the public,” the LSPR political communication professor said.

Suko Widodo, a political communication expert at Airlangga University in Surabaya, stated that ministerial statements and positive social media narratives represent damage control and image repair strategies. This approach may prove effective in the short term to calm controversy and shift public attention.

“But if it happens too often, it can actually raise issues regarding the consistency of the government’s message,” the lecturer at Airlangga University’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences told Tempo via WhatsApp on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

Suko explained that the strength of President Prabowo’s political communication style lies in spontaneity and authenticity. However, he emphasized that these traits must be supported by accurate data, careful wording, and openness to criticism. “Because the President is not only speaking to his supporters, but to all citizens,” he said.

Tempo’s Fact-Checking Team requested responses from Director General of Public Communication and Media Fifi Aleyda Yahya, Special Advisor to the President for Communications Hasan Nasbi, and Head of the Government Communications Agency Muhammad Qodari. However, none of the three officials replied as of Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

*This report is the result of a collaboration between Tempo, SAFEnet and the Monash Data and Democracy Hub.

**Do you have information or claims that you want to have fact-checked? Contact our ChatBot. You can also send criticism, objections, or feedback for this Fact-Checking article via email to [email protected].

Ika Ningtyas dan Ahmad Suudi contributed to this article.